High Court of Admiralty. Captured ship: Petite Adelaide of Bordeaux (master Joseph...

High Court of Admiralty.

Captured ship: Petite Adelaide of Bordeaux (master Joseph Marie Nielly).

Capture history: a French merchant ship (60 tons, 4 guns, 7 men, 4 passengers, owners Recules De Basmarin & Raimbeaux), bound from Bordeaux to Saint Domingue but in fact to Edenton, North Carolina, laden with salt, tea, wine, cordage, bale goods; taken on 17 Mar 1778 about 150 leagues from Bordeaux by the privateer Lively (John Kerby commanding), and brought into Jersey.

Intended voyage: from France to the United States.

Court papers numbered CP 1-5:-

• [CP 1]: 8 depositions of Jean Baptiste Jourdain, Pierre Cibot, Jean Baptiste Duberry, engineer cadets; and Louis Lambert, Joseph Denant, Joseph Marie Nielly, Pierre Jonquiere, Jean Harall, mariners; commissioners' affidavit, taken at Jersey, 25 Mar-6 Apr;
• [CP 2]: attestation as to papers (1-10) brought in by John Kerby, 3 Apr;
• [CP 3]: attestation as to concealed papers (1-7, and letters), 9 May;
• [CP 4]: Nielly deposition about De La Plaigne, on the prize Dargentré [HCA 32/302/13]; 2 translations, 9-12 May;
• [CP 4]: allegation, 23 May;
• [CP 5]: translations of papers 1, 3-5, 10 [FSP 1, FSP 3-5, SP 10].

False ship's papers, for Saint Domingue, all Mar 1778) numbered FSP 1-9:- FSP 1: bill of lading; FSP 2: facture by owners; FSP 3:owners instructions, for Saint Domingue; FSP 4: ship's pass; FSP 5: receipt; FSP 6: bill of health; FSP 7: [not found]; FSP 8: muster roll; FSP 9: customs bond

Ship's papers and mail in transit numbered SP 5-82, all 1778 unless stated, many about imminent French declaration of war:-

• SP 5: business partnership between Reculès de Basmarein and Roulhac, 13 Dec 1777;
• SP 5A: large envelope to Acklam Bondfield, Edenton, by La Petite Adelaide, recommended to Reculès de Basmarein, Raimbaux & Cie, merchants in Bordeaux, c/o Mr Roulhac in America;
• SP 5B: large envelope to Major General Philip Scuyler, Albany, c/o M Roulhac in America;
• SP 5C: wrapper for letters to the 4 passengers upon arrival;
• SP 6: business partnership of Desprez & Sabatier Fils and Lavabre Doerner & Company, 10 Dec 1777;
• SP 7: owners secret instructions for the real voyage to Edenton, North Carolina;
• SP 8-9: [FSP8-9];
• SP 10: provisions;
• SP 11A: envelope marked Gazettes to Roulhac;
• SP 11-SP 20: Leiden Gazette Nouvelles Extraordinaires de divers endroits, with supplements, 13 Jan-27 Feb;
• SP 21-SP 28: Courier de l'Europe, 6 Jan-20 Feb;
• SP 29-SP 34: list of market prices, 4 Mar;
• SP 35: newspaper cutting; cloth from the Manufacture de Saint-Quentin, Picardy;

12 letters from John Bondfield, Bordeaux, to:-

• SP 36: Acklam R Bondfield, Edenton, 2 Mar; death of Thomas Morris, asks aid to get his position as commercial agent;
• SP 37: Andrew & James Caldwells of Pots Grove, Pennsylvania, 3 Mar;
• SP 38: Charles Bondfield, Edenton, 3 Mar:pilots's negligence caused the loss of a vessel;
• SP 39: Blair M'Clanachan, Philadelphia, 4 Mar; Edenton seems to be the only free port;
• SP 40: Roger Smith, Charleston, 4 Mar;
• SP 41: Philip Scuyler, Albany, New York, 4 Mar;
• SP 42: John Willes, auditor general of the northern department, Albany, 4 Mar; France supports Hyder Ali in India;
• SP 43: Thomas Wharton, president of Council of Pennsylvania, 4 Mar: French fleet at Malabar; death of Morris, so Lee now sole continental agent;
• SP 44: Joseph Hewes, member of Congress for North Carolina, 4 Mar; corresponds with trading cities in France;
• SP 45: William Jett, Leedstown, Virginia, 6 Mar; is now William Lee's agent in Bordeaux;
• SP 46: James Prince of the brig St Jacques, Edenton, 9 Mar;
• SP 47: George Clymer, Philadelphia, 4 Mar 1778, with copies o0f 1 and 17 Dec 1777; asks his protection for Bondfield's brother; had to flee Philadelphia.

4 letters from Emmanuel Pierre de la Plaigne, captain of the First Georgia Regiment of Foot, Continental Army:-

• SP 48, SP 48A: Governor and Commander in Chief in North Carolina [Richard Caswell], Edenton, 9 Mar; sends engineers; will sail for America in 15 days;
• SP 49: [Caswell], Edenton, 9 Mar; sent to France to provide arms and uniforms for Georgia and to recruit military engineers, sends three cadets and one domestic;
• SP 50, SP 50A: Charles Francis Chevalier, member of the Congress of Georgia, Savannah, 9 Mar; repeats SP 49A;
• SP 51: Chevalier, 9 Mar; repeats SP48A.

16 business letters from Messrs Reculès de Basmarein, Raimbaux & Cie, Bordeaux, to:-

• SP 52-SP 53: Roulhac, Boston, 19 & 20 Oct 1777;
• SP 54: Roulhac, 10 Dec 1777; cargo on Decamps' ship; correspondence network in the northern colonies;
• SP 55-SP 56: Roulhac, 12 and 16 Dec 1777;
• SP 57: Roulhac, 26 Jan; excuses of Pierre Decamps [SP 57A] [freemason symbol ?];
• SP 57A: Pierre Decamps, Saint Domingue, to Reculès, 21 Oct 1777; bad weather damage forced him to sell to Livingston and Turnbull;
• SP 58-SP 62: Roulhac, Charleston, 12, 18, 26 Feb, 9, 10 Mar;
• SP 63: Charles Bondfield, Edenton, 8 Jan; introduction;
• SP 64-SP 65, SP 66: Higginson, Salem, Boston, 15 Feb, 9 Mar; purchase of ships for the colonies;
• SP 67: John Cripps & Mey, Charleston, 12 Dec 1777; affairs of the Marquis de Lafayette;
• SP 68-SP 68A: John Cripps & Mey, 8 Jan; wreck of La Victoire (J-B Le Boursier).

3 letters from Pierre Lexieu & Benjamin de George, Bordeaux, c/o Roulhac:-

• SP 69-SP 70: Isaac van Bibbler Dugan & Samuel Crockett, Baltimore, 28 Feb; arrival of the Nancy, sale of tobacco;
• SP 71: William Neill, Baltimore; as SP 69.

Other letters:-

• SP 72, SP 72A, SP 72B: Jumeau Tailleur, Paris, and Mme Jumeau, to Devrigny, officer of the Legion de Conflans, Mireaux, 24, 26 Jan; to pay his debts: forwarded to Bordeaux and America;
• SP 73: Godin, Southgate, Middlesex, to Benjamin Guerard, Charleston, 27 Jan; death of his aunt Marianne Godin;
• SP 74, SP 74A: Durocher to Roulhac, at John Cripps & Mey, Charleston, 26 Jan; difficulties with his brother-in-law;
• SP 75: Hasmensen & Cie, Bordeaux to Miles & Whister, Philadelphia, 7 Feb; enclosing SP 75A letter of credit for Christophe Frederic Oberlander; and SP 75B S & J H Delap, Bordeaux to Conyngham Nesbitt, Philadelphia, 6 February 1778, to be delivered by Oberlander;
• SP 76: Delap & Mcreezy, Bordeaux to John McLure, Goodwin & Russell, Baltimore, 25 Feb; insurances;
• SP 77: Delap to Samuel Purviance, Baltimore, 28 Feb; sent a box of books including Parliamentary Registers for Congress and Simes' Military Course for General Washington;
• SP 78: Chabon, Bordeaux to Roulhac, Charleston, 14 Feb; cargo on La Petite Mimi (Descruzel);
• SP 79: William Jones, Bordeaux to William Neill, Baltimore, 5 Mar;
• SP 80: Henriette Roux, Bordeaux to her brother [in the Army], 10 Mar; fortunate to have Laurens and Gervais as protectors; loves General Washington; visit of Mr Desaussure [see HCA 32/392/7];
• SP 81, SP 81A, SP 82 : Mme De Monestay, Paris to her son Vicomte Dubuyson, Army of the United States of America.